Exclusive: Kate Hudson on Sane Dieting and the Problem With Rom Coms

"You try to break these barriers, but it's very, very, very, very complicated."

Kate Hudson's on a mission. This spring, the actress is shifting the Fabletics line she co-founded from a mostly gym-going brand to more of a street-ready one, with pieces like rompers, tube tops, and jumpsuits joining the array of leggings and yoga tops. "We felt that there was a hole in the market [in terms] of the real crossover from athletic into daily life," Hudson tells ELLE.com of her new initiative. "Because I know for me, that's what I end up wearing all day, from taking the kids to school to working out to going to lunch, even sometimes working out and then going out at night."

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Thirty-five-year-old Hudson, a Golden Globe–winning actress and mother of two, may be an extraordinarily busy lady. But she's certainly not the only overtasked woman in need of more versatile, multitasking clothing. Here, Hudson, who also stars in the spring campaign, talks to ELLE.com about about designing the line (which has new options every month, and will offer the ready-to-wear starting in April), finding a healthy lifestyle that doesn't drive her crazy, and what, exactly, irks her about the "romantic comedy" label.

You just attended fashion week, and you've been designing Fabletics for almost two years. How has the fashion world helped you as a designer?Over the years, I've created friendships with people like Stella McCartney and Tom Ford and Donatella [Versace]. [The designers] that I really look up to are those who really stay authentic to what their brand is and create a brand that is accessible and wearable for people without—and this is in high fashion—ever compromising their integrity artistically and creatively.

A lot of us are driven by our fears. But are they holding us back or are they moving us forward?

I'm not a seasoned fashion designer—I didn't go to design school, that is not where my expertise is. For me, it's really just coming from a place of giving back a version of something that I like and hoping that other women will appreciate that and like it as well. What I wanted to do with Fabletics was be able to reach more than one type of person. We wanted to create a company that incorporated all body types, all women, different kinds of style, and, by using the online subscription model, we're able to facilitate that. And the bigger message with us is it's really about creating a healthy and fit environment for women to empower themselves.

Courtesy of Fabletics

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You have a lot of famous friends. Are they fans of the line?You know, it's so funny. Just now in the last two months, I've had so many of my friends [tell me] they're so excited about it! I saw Lea Michele the other day—they just finished Glee and I went by, and Lea was just—she loves it. I'm one of those people [who] would never push anything on anybody, you know? But I've been sending my friends some stuff, and everybody loves it. What sort of becomes the conversation is that they get hooked on what's next. It becomes fun to see where the prints are going and what colors we're going to come out with.

What was the concept behind the spring campaign?

Fears. A lot of us are driven by our fears, but the question is, Are those things that are driving us and fueling us, are they holding us back or are they moving us forward? I think a lot of times, people will relate to this when they're really trying to change their body. I know when I was pregnant with Ryder, I gained all that weight. There's a spiritual experience that happens when you cut through all those layers and start to shed, when you can forge through it, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

You told Shape recently you're anti-dieting. What to you is the key to striking the right balance between indulging and being healthy?

I shouldn't find an ice cream sundae an indulgence. It should just be really nice to have!

I'm constantly in a place of trying to understand what that balance is. As I get older, I get closer to understanding it. You know I love food, I love wine, I have a very difficult time being incredibly structured. With all of this diet stuff, I've found what's worked for me is trying to change my brain to not think of it as a diet but really to just look at it as an overall lifestyle. Over the years I've discovered how food functions, what are the best foods to eat, what are the foods that will create the most optimal results, and how you can enjoy yourself and indulge without it being considered an indulgence. Because you know, for me, I shouldn't find an ice cream sundae an indulgence—it should just be nice! [Laughs] It should just be really nice to have! I just feel like there's a balance in there when you start to understand all the ins and outs of foods and how they affect your body. And the same thing goes with working out. You can feel very good spending 20 minutes on the treadmill. It's more about understanding why 20 minutes on a treadmill lifts up the rest of your day versus "I need to spend 45 minutes on this treadmill everyday so that I can look like this." That's a process, and it starts with changing the way you see it and actually enjoying the [workout] versus letting it be some looming activity.

Courtesy of Fabletics

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You've said previously you're not a fan of romantic comedies. What to you is the issue with them?One of the things I don't like about the genre is that for some reason if a woman is at the center of a comedy, it's always boxed into being a romantic comedy. When men are at the center of a comedy, it's just a comedy. I've done a lot of movies that would not be considered a romantic comedy—even Bride Wars. Bride Wars is about two girlfriends. It's a comedy about two girls on their wedding day and [to] every single person because it was two women at the center of it, it was considered a romantic comedy. That to me is this just kind of a strange concept. It's something that I think women are continuously banging their heads against—this isn't a romantic comedy. This is a buddy comedy. This is about two girls. At the end of the day, it's not necessarily about the relationships they have with the men. It's about the relationship and the stereotypes that are created and how important friendship is.

You know, you try to break these barriers, but it's very, very, very, very complicated. I consider myself a feminist—as I think most women should. "Feminist" is to want equal rights for all women.

I think it's just as important to explore the dark sides of women as it is to explore the beautiful.

But one of the things I want to do [is] to create different kinds of roles and play different kinds of characters inside of film. I think it's just as important to explore the dark sides of women as it is to explore the beautiful sides and healthy sides of women. You want to be able to fluctuate inside of the film world, into characters that really do embody some very dark ideas and concepts as well as ones that are incredibly empowering female leads. So I won't ever limit myself just because of my personal messages that I like to put out. As far as it comes to the kinds of roles I want to play, I want to play all of them. That's why I became an actress. It's the passion in it.

Check out the latest Fabletics collection here and watch an exclusive behind-the-scenes video from the campaign below: